Horizontally adjustable chair in combination with a shampoo bowl unit

ABSTRACT

A horizontally adjustable chair in combination with a shampoo bowl unit to be installed in barbershops, beauty parlors, etc. comprising a shampoo bowl unit which is either fixed in place or mounted for concealment in a cabinet and a chair having a seat capable of horizontal and longitudinal travel by means of a glide mechanism. The seat can be locked at a desired position by operation of a lock lever and relating locking members. In such a chair and a shampoo bowl combination, the relative distance between the user&#39;&#39;s head and the shampoo bowl can be easily adjusted. The chair is also rotatable, vertically adjustable and tiltable.

United States Patent 1191 Shoji 1451 May 14, 1974 [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Takara Belmont Kalmshiki Kaisha,

Osaka, Japan 22 Filed: Mar. 31, 1972 1211 Appl. No 240,088

Nagayoshi Shoji, Osaka, Japan [58'] Field of Search 7 297/217, 182, 346417; I 312/209, 228; 248/419; 108/145 [56] I References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,255,344 6/1966 Suuronen 297/182 3,700,203 2/1971 Adams297 34 3,591,234 7/1971 Condon 297/346 3,524,256 8/1970 Barker 312/2093,555,211 11/1967 Kolle l 297/346 2,878,091 3/1959 Hammond 312/2092,175,452 10/1939 Whedon 297/346 3,255,344 6/1966 Suuronen 297/182Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Woodhams,Blanchard & Flynn 5 7 ABSTRACT A- horizontally adjustable chair incombination with a shampoo bowl unit to be installed in barbershops,beauty parlors, etc. comprising a shampoo bowl unit which is eitherfixed in place or mounted for concealment in a cabinet and a chairhaving a seat capable of horizontal and longitudinal travel by means ofa glide mechanism. The seat can be locked at a desired position byoperation of a lock lever and relating locking members. In such a chairand a shampoo bowl combination, the relative distance between the usershead and the shampoo bowl can be easily adjusted. The chair is alsorotatable, vertically adjustable and tiltable,

10 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures This invention relates to fixtures forbarbershops and beauty parlors and more particularly, to a horizontallyadjustable chair in combination with a shampoo bowl unit and which isparticularly effective for hair washing in a supine posture.

Heretofore, there is known to the art a shampoo bowl and a chair unit ofa type in which a shampoo bowl is fitted to a wall below a mirror and achair is disposed confronting said bowl. In such a type of a'shampoobowl and a chair unit, the customer is usually seated on the chairfacing the shampoo bowl and the mirror attached to the wall for hairtreatment. Then, for hair washing, the chair is turned 180 with itsback-rest tilted so that the customer lies on his back. In thisposition, the hair washing work is performed in the shampoo bowlpositioned under the head of the customer. The relative space betweenthe headand the bowl varies depending on sitting conditions, individualdifferences of customers, etc.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provideahorizontally adjustable chair for adjusting the relative distancebetween the customers head and the shampoo bowl by horizontally shiftingthe chair and by setting the back-rest of the 'chair in any desiredtilted position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a horizontallyadjustable chair of the aforesaid type in which the horizontal shiftingand locking of the seat at a desired position can be effected by asimple mechanism within the seat which seat is mounted on a pedestalincorporating a hydraulic cylinder mechanism.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide ahorizontally-adjustable chair of the aforesaid type in which the shampoobowl is made to disappear in a cabinet and when his drawn out of thecabinet for hairwashing, the bowlsufficiently projects from the cabinetso that the relative distance between the head in a supine posture andthe bowl can be conveniently fixed and the hair washing operation can beeasily performed.

Essentially, according to the present invention, there is provided ahorizontally adjustable chair in combination with a shampoo bowl unitcomprising a shampoo bowl unit and a rotatable, vertically adjustableand tiltable chair which includes a seat; an upper seat; an upper seatplate carrying said seat; a lower seat plate rotatably mounted on apedestal; a pair of gliding mechanisms longitudinally provided betweensaid upper and lower seat plates on both sides thereof each of which hasa first rail fixed to said lower seat plate and a second rail fixed tosaid upper seat plate, said first and Various further and specificobjects, features and advantages of this invention will be betterunderstood from the following description of one embodiment of thepresent invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich;

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views showing the relative positions of ashampoo bowl unit and a chair unit in which FIG. 1 shows a hair treatingposition and FIG. 2 shows a hair washing position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a horizontally adjustable chair which isone embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the same;

FIG. 5 is a partly cut-awayrear elevational view of the same showing agliding and a locking mechanism of a seat;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the locking mechanism of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partly cut-away side elevational view of a back-rest of thechair showing an erected position of an elbow-rest;

FIG. 8 is a front view ofa shampoo bowl unit in a position in which ashampoo bowl is encased in a cabinet; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of theshampoo bowl unit in its openposition.

second rails being slidably joinedwith each other by means of ballsprovided therebetween for longitudinal reciprocation, said second railhaving a plurality of In the drawings, characters Aand B represent achair and a shampoo. bowl unit respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, usual hair treatments, such as cutting,styling, etc. are performed with the apparatus positioned as shown inFIG. 1. For hair washing, the shampoo bowl B is drawn out of the cabinetand the chair is turned then its back-rest is tilted backward andarranged so that a customers head is positioned above the shampoo bowlas shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 3-- 7, there is illustrated the chair A. Numeral 1represents a pedestal, 2 a seat, 3 side walls, 4 elbow-rests and 5 aback-rest. Inside the pedestal l is incorporated a conventionalhydraulic cylinder with an electric pump whose piston 6 slidably extendsfrom the upper end of the pedestal l. A base 7 is rotatably mounted onthe top of the piston 6 and a lower seat plate 8 is fixed to said base 7with bolts and nuts On both 'sides of the upper face of said lower seatplate 8, there is provided a gliding mechanism 10 comprising a'pair ofrails longitudinally and slidably joined with each other by means ofballs 100. One of said rails 10a is fixed to the lower seat plate 8 witha bolt and nut 9 while the other rail 10b is fixed to an upper seatplate 11 by a bolt and nut 9.

To said upper seat plate 11 isattached the seat 2 and on both sides oftheseat 2 are provided the side walls 3 on each of which an elbow-rest 4is mounted. Between both said side walls 3, a back-rest Sis hingedlymounted on the seat 2 by means of an axle 12.

Accordingly, the seat 2 is mounted on the pedestal l for horizontalreciprocation by means of said gliding mechanism 10. The seat isselectively and releasably locked in position by the following lockingmechanism.

A lock bar 14 operated by a lock lever 13 is provided on one side or theother side of the lower seat plate 8 so that said lock bar 14 canengage. with any one of square key holes 101 formed at regular intervalson the rail 10b to lock the seat 2 at a desired horizontal position. Thelock bar 14 is releasably maintained in engagement with any one of saidsquare key holes b, because said lock bar is mounted on a lock supportto which is coupled a torsion spring 15'. In order to adjust thehorizontal position of the seat 2, the lever 13 is operated to disengagethe lock bar 14 from the key hole 10b the seat 2 is horizontally shiftedto the desired position and then the lever 13 is again pushed back toits original position so that the lock bar 14 catches the correspondingkey hole 10b, on the rail 10b thereby to lock the gliding mechanism.

Numeral 16 represents a lever catch provided under the lower seat plate8 and having a pair of rollers 160 which are usually in contact witheach other, but which can be moved apart by resiliency of the material.When an inwardly bent portion 13a of the lever 13 is forced between saidpair of rollers 16a, the rollers tightly hold it therebetween to securethe unlocked position of the lock bar 14, as illustrated in broken linesin FIG. 5.

The back-rest 5 is so constructed as to be suspended at a desired tiltedangle by operating handles 17 prochair is tilted backward bymanipulating the handle 17 to position the head just above the shampoobowl B. The individual difference in distance between the shampoo bowl Band the seat 2 of the chair can be ad- 5 justed by shifting said seathorizontally by means of the vided on its both sides as in the priorart. A head-rest 18 is extendibly mounted on the top of the back-rest 5.

The seat 2 is of the so-called lounge type and it is difficult for theuser to mount it from the front. Therefore, for the purpose offacilitating mounting from the sides, one of the elbow-rests 4 with itsfixture 20 is pivotally mounted on an axle 19 formed in the side wall 3.A stop 21 is provided in the side wall 3 to engage with an ear 200formed in the fixture 20 thereby to restrict a further upward rotationof the elbow-rest 4. I

The piston 6 in combination with the seat 2 is rotatably and verticallymovably mounted on the pedestal 1.

Vertical movement of a pair of pedals 22 equipped on the pedestal 1 asin the prior art locks the piston 6 at and releases it from a desiredrotated position. When one of said pair of pedals 22a alone is presseddown, the incorporated electric pump is operated to elevate the seat 2,and when the other pedal 2212 alone is pressed down, the incorporatedcylinder is deprived of oil pressure to lower the seat 2.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, there is illustrated a shampoo bowl unit.Below a mirror 23 fixed to the wall, there is also fixed a cabinet 24for the shampoo bowl B. Said cabinet 24 has, in its front face, avertical opening 24a to which a door 25 is hinged with its axles 26rotatably supported by brackets 27 provided projectingly from thecabinet 24.

The shampoo bowl B is fixedly provided inside said door and soconstructed that, in an open position, the upper end B' of the rear wallof the bowl strikes the underside of an operating board 28 formedwithinthe cabinet 24 to maintain the bowl in a determined open position. Theforward wall of the shampoo bowl has a recess B" for receiving the backof the head.

As above-described, since the shampoo bowl B in combination with thedoor 25 is hinged to the cabinet by means of brackets 27 which areextending outward from the cabinet, the bowl can project forward in theopen position farther than a conventional one, which makes hair washingwork much easier.

For practical use of the horizontally adjustable chair in combinationwith the shampoo bowl unit according to the present invention, the pairof pedals 22 are operated to turn the chair A by 180, the bowl B isdrawn out of the cabinet 24 and then the back-rest S of the lever 13thereby to position the head just above the shampoo bowl B.

It should be noted that the horizontally adjustable chair can beemployed in combination with a fixed type of a shampoo bowl unit whichis similarly deemed as constituting the present invention withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims.

As apparent from the foregoing description, the horizontally adjustablechair in combination with the shampoo bowl unit according to the presentinvention can readily adjust the relative distance between the head andthe shampoo bowl by horizontally shifting either of the bowl and thechair and by setting the back-rest of the chair in any desired tiltedposition, thereby positioning the head just above the shampoo bowl foreasy hair washing.

What is claimed is:

1. A horizontally adjustable chair, especially for use in barbershopsand beauty parlors, comprising:

a support pedestal having vertically extendible means extending upwardlytherefrom;

a lower seat plate mountedon said vertically extendible means forrotation with respect to said pedestal;

a seat having an upper seat plate mounted. on the underside thereof,with said upper seat plate being disposed above said lower seat plate;

a pair of spaced-apart glide mechanisms mounted between said upper andlower seat plates adjacent the opposite sides of the seat, each of saidglide mechanisms comprising a first elongated rail fixed to the lowerseat'plate and a second elongated rail fixed to the upper seat plate,said rails extending lengthwise of the seat, and a series of rollingbearing elements disposed between said rails so that said second rail issupported for longitudinal movement relative to said first rail;

one of the rails of one of said glide mechanisms having a series oflongitudinally spaced-apart locating means thereon;

a movable lock support mounted in fixed association with the other railof said one glide mechanism and having a lock member mounted thereon andselectively engageable with said locating means to releasably lock saidrails to each other;

a lock lever connected to said lock support for moving said lock memberinto and'out of engagement with said locating means; and

torsion spring means coupled to said lock support for resiliently urgingsaid lock member into engagement with said locating means.

2. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1, in which saidseat has a seat back mounted for tilting movement about a horizontalaxis relative to the remainder of said seat.

3. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1, in which saidlocating means comprises a series of key holes in said one rail of saidone glide mechanism and said lock member is a lock bar extendible intosaid holes.

4. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 3, in which saidrails each have a pair of vertically and sidewardly offset,substantially horizontal flanges, with each flange being opposed to andvertically spaced from a flange on the other rail, and said rollingbearing elements are balls disposed between opposed flanges of. the tworails.

5. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 3, in which saidlock support is an elongated rod extending substantially parallel withsaid rails, bracket means attached to said lower seat plate, said rodbeing supported by said bracket means for pivotal movement about an axisextending parallel to said rails;

said torsion spring means comprising a coil spring encircling said rodand connected at one end to said rod and connected at the other end ofsaid bracket means.

6. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1, wherein saidchair further includes a lever catch provided under the lower. seatplate and having a pair of rollers adapted to hold an inwardly bentportion of said lock lever therebetween when the lever is displaced tounlock said lock member.

7. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1, wherein saidchair further comprises a pair of side walls on both sides of said seat;an elbow-rest pivotally mounted on each of said side walls; and a stopprovided in each of the side walls to limit rotation of the elbow rest.

8. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 7, in combinationwith a shampoo bowl unit comprising a shampoo bowl having a recess inits forward wall thereby to receive the back of the head of a person insaid seat.

9. A horizontally adjustable chair in combination with a shampoo bowlunit according to claim 8, wherein said shampoo bowl unit furthercomprises a cabinet fixed to a wall below a mirror and having a verticalopening in its front side and a door hingedly supported in said openingby means of axles on both sides, each of said axles being rotatablysupported by a bracket projecting outward from said cabinet, saidshampoo bowl being fixed to said door inside the cabinet.

10. A horizontally adjustable chair in combination with a shampoo bowlunit according to claim 9, wherein said shampoo bowl unit furthercomprises an operating board provided within said cabinet in the upperpart thereof, the upper end of the rear wall of said shampoo bowl beingadapted to abut against the underside of said operating board in itsopen position thereby to maintain the bowl in a determined openposition.

UNITED STATES PA TENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 31073 Dated May 14, 1974 Inventofls) Nagayoshi Shoji It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below: Co l. 5, line 14; change"of" to ---to.

' Col. 6, lines 2 and 3-; change "Claim 7" to --Claim l.

Signedahd sealed this 1st day of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

' McCOY M. GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents FORM PO-1D5O (10-69) u co M-nc 60376-p69 u.s. sovzmmzm mam-nusomcs was o-ass-zm,

1. A horizontally adjustable chair, especially for use in barbershopsand beauty parlors, comprising: a support pedestal having verticallyextendible means extending upwardly therefrom; a lower seat platemounted on said vertically extendible means for rotation with respect tosaid pedestal; a seat having an upper seat plate mounted on theunderside thereof, with said upper seat plate being disposed above saidlower seat plate; a pair of spaced-apart glide mechanisms mountedbetween said upper and lower seat plates adjacent the opposite sides ofthe seat, each of said glide mechanisms comprising a first elongatedrail fixed to the lower seat plate and a second elongated rail fixed tothe upper seat plate, said rails extending lengthwise of the seat, and aseries of rolling bearing elements disposed between said rails so thatsaid second rail is supported for longitudinal movement relative to saidfirst rail; one of the rails of one of said glide mechanisms having aseries of longitudinally spaced-apart locating means thereon; a movablelock support mounted in fixed association with the other rail of saidone glide mechanism and having a lock member mounted thereon andselectively engageable with said locating means to releasably lock saidrails to each other; a lock lever connected to said lock support formoving said lock member into and out of engagement with said locatingmeans; and torsion spring means coupled to said lock support forresiliently urging said lock member into engagement with said locatingmeans.
 2. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1, in whichsaid seat has a seat back mounted for tilting movement about ahorizontal axis relative to the remainder of said seat.
 3. Ahorizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1, in which saidlocating means comprises a series of key holes in said one rail of saidone glide mechanism and said lock member is a lock bar extendible intosaid holes.
 4. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 3, inwhich said rails each have a pair of vertically and sidewardly offset,substantially horizontal flanges, with each flange being opposed to andvertically spaced from a flange on the other rail, and said rollingbearing elements are balls disposed between opposed flanges of the tworails.
 5. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 3, in whichsaid lock support is an elongated rod extending substantially parallelwith said rails, bracket means attached to said lower seat plate, saidrod being supported by said bracket means for pivotal movement about anaxis extending parallel to said rails; said torsion spring meanscomprising a coil spring encircling said rod and connected at one end tosaid rod and connected at the other end of said bracket means.
 6. Ahorizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1, wherein said chairfurther includes a lever catch provided under the lower seat plate andhaving a pair of rollers adapted to hold an inwardly bent portion ofsaid lock lever therebetween when the lever is displaced to unlock saidlock member.
 7. A horizontally adjustable chair according to claim 1,wherein said chair further comprises a pair of side walls on both sidesof said seat; an elbow-rest pivotally mounted on each of said sidewalls; and a stop provided in each of the side walls to limit rotationof the elbow rest.
 8. A horizontally adjustable chair accorDing to claim7, in combination with a shampoo bowl unit comprising a shampoo bowlhaving a recess in its forward wall thereby to receive the back of thehead of a person in said seat.
 9. A horizontally adjustable chair incombination with a shampoo bowl unit according to claim 8, wherein saidshampoo bowl unit further comprises a cabinet fixed to a wall below amirror and having a vertical opening in its front side and a doorhingedly supported in said opening by means of axles on both sides, eachof said axles being rotatably supported by a bracket projecting outwardfrom said cabinet, said shampoo bowl being fixed to said door inside thecabinet.
 10. A horizontally adjustable chair in combination with ashampoo bowl unit according to claim 9, wherein said shampoo bowl unitfurther comprises an operating board provided within said cabinet in theupper part thereof, the upper end of the rear wall of said shampoo bowlbeing adapted to abut against the underside of said operating board inits open position thereby to maintain the bowl in a determined openposition.